WANTED: Bus driver.

Must be able to safely maneuver a 9-ton canary yellow bus while dealing with raucous middle schoolers.

Must hold a commercial driver’s license, first-aid certification and an exceptional driving record. Must have no criminal record and pass a drug test. Must be patient.

Must love children — even when they climb over seats or pummel each other with backpacks during rush-hour traffic.

Welcome to the challenge of staffing a public school transportation department.

It’s always been a little tough for Oak Harbor Public Schools to hire enough drivers, but this year it’s grown tougher as the economy has improved and job seekers have more options.

Next fall is expected to be tougher still.

The district anticipates an influx of a few hundred new students in the next few years as the Navy brings more personnel and their families to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station.

In the past few years, the school district has employed about 40 drivers, said Francis Bagarella, transportation director. This year, that’s dipped to 35. He’d like to hire up to 10 more people.

It’s gotten bad enough the department director gets behind the wheel when he can’t fill a route.

To get the public’s attention, the district parked a bus along Highway 20 near North Whidbey Middle School with a banner advertising for more drivers.

“You have to be passionate about kids and have a high tolerance for working with them,” Bagarella said.

It’s hard to attract new drivers partly because most drivers don’t get full-time work. That’s because the routes are designed to efficiently get kids to school, not to get a driver 40 hours a week. The job pays $16.90 to $19.41 an hour.

The number of drivers needed varies daily. Sometimes the district needs more drivers to take students to sporting events and other extracurricular activities.

The transportation department uses a seniority system that gives seasoned drivers first pick at routes. That means newer drivers work fewer hours. Not knowing how much work to expect can be a problem.

This isn’t a job that would support a family, Bagarella said. For most people, it’s a job after retirement. Most of his drivers are older than 50. Drivers include former business owners, a retired principal and policewoman, two former Navy pilots and grandparents who want to drive a route their grandchildren live on.

The banner on Highway 20 is yielding results. Eight new people are taking a training course the district offers to potential drivers. However, about half the people who sign up eventually drop out after they realize how demanding it is to operate a bus and keep kids safe, Bagarella said.

For those who pass pre-screening tests, the district pays nearly $350 in training, licensing and other fees. Twenty hours of classroom time and 10 behind the wheel are required. Applicants also must pass a commercial driving license physical and skills test.

“Safety is our No. 1 concern,” Bagarella said. “The public entrust us to safely transport the most precious cargo — their children.”

Larry Fleck has driven school buses for Oak Harbor for more than 15 years. He loves it. Partly, that’s because he thinks of himself as a big kid. He also loves seeing the kids he’s driven grow up and move on.

Driving a school bus isn’t for everybody. Imagine eyeballing seven mirrors, the road, other drivers and the children on board.

Managing those kids can be the most challenging part of the job. Some people quit the first time they climb onto a bus and take in the sea of faces staring back.

“How do you get kids to listen to you and respect you,” Fleck said. “It takes awhile.”

With experience, Fleck has learned. He gets to know the kids by name and chats with them. If there’s a problem, he talks to the offender privately and then puts that child in the front seat. Kids don’t want to sit in the front, he said.

Also, Fleck is warm, funny and cares about his charges. He drives a route with students in Broadview Elementary’s Highly Capable program. He decided his bus was going to be the coolest, and he encouraged the kids to don shades.

He and the children cruise to school, sunglasses on, ready to rock the school day.